The recovery effort across the NSW South Coast following devastating bushfires of past months has already begun. Many community groups, volunteers and businesses have organised events, activities, fundraisers, and specials to support various groups aiding the rebuilding of our communities. Australian Community Media has put together this guide to events and fundraisers up and down the coast, so you can offer your support to those affected by the fires.
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If you have an event you'd like us to add to this story, please use the form at the bottom or email dayle.latham@austcommunitymedia.com.au with your contact details and a description of your event.
Events
Coast-wide
Sunday, February 9: Bushfire Relief Car And Bike Cruise from 9am until 12.30pm. Fuel East Lynne is calling for all car and bike enthusiasts to join together for this car and bike cruise. Leaving from many locations depending on the clubs that join in and cruising to East Lynne Fuel (F3050 Princes Highway, East Lynne). Will include a small show and shine where people will be able to take photos and enjoy the cars and bikes on display. There will be prizes and a raffle. All proceeds made will go to two charities: Buy A Bale and Shoalhaven City Council Mayors Relief Fund. Meeting locations as follows: Minchinbury Bunnings 6.30am, leaving 7am; Hungry Jacks Haywoods Bay 8am, leaving 8.30am; South Nowra Truck rest area 9am, leaving 9.30am. See Facebook for more details.
Nowra
Friday, February 7: The Concert for Bush Fire Relief at Nowra School of Arts from 7.30-10.30pm, including a light supper. All proceeds will go towards the Mayoral Relief Fund which will assist with the recovery of the Shoalhaven and all those affected by the Currowan fire. The concert will feature local artists including SiRenics, Leanne and Anthony Girdlestone, Catie Haliday, Olivia Corish, Peter Bishop as well as choirs Raised Voices, Sing Australia Vincentia and Shoalhaven Community Choir. Entry is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors/concession/full time students, $10 for children aged five to 12 and free for children under age five. Family tickets are also available at $35 for two adults and two children. Tickets are now on sale on Trybooking.com - Shoalhaven Bushfire Relief Concert.
St Georges Basin
Saturday, January 25: Aussie Legends Fundraiser Show at St Georges Basin Country Club (11 Paradise Beach Road, Sanctuary Point) from 8-11pm. Featuring the Long Way to the Top Ultimate Tribute to AC/DC, the show will pay tribute to and raise funds for real Aussie legends, the Rural Fire Service. 100 per cent of the ticket sales and 100 per cent of the auditorium bar takings on the night will be split between Basin View, Crossroads, St Georges Basin, Tomerong and Wreck Bay Brigades. Come and enjoy a great night of entertainment and support a great cause. Phone 4443 0666 for details.
Huskisson
Saturday, January 25: Umbarra 'Black Duck' Corroboree Fundraiser for NSW Bush Fires at Moona Moona Beach, Huskisson from 10.30am-3.30pm. Yuin Nation's largest powerful healing Corroboree in history, in unison with Canadian Indigenous peoples dancing on their homelands is set to take place in Huskisson. Be a part of this collective energy and dance for our old people, our homelands, the rivers, rain, our children, our justice, our healing, Mother Earth, Father Sky, Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun. See Facebook for details or tickets via Eventbrite.
Woollamia
Friday, January 24, Saturday, February 8 and Saturday, February 22: Woollamia International Film Festival at Club Woollamia (560 Woollamia Road) from 6.30pm, screening 8.30pm. Tickets $15, children under 16 free, RFS volunteers and staff, emergency services staff free. All proceeds will go to a number of local charities. See Facebook for more details.
Batemans Bay
Sunday, January 26: Rotary Batemans Bay's Australia Day Community Breakfast at Corrigans Beach Reserve, Batehaven from 8-11am. Entertainment, hot breakfast, jumping castle, face painting. In light of the recent fires, the Rotary club is waiving entry fees so this will be a free event for the community.
Broulee
Wednesday, January 22: Broulee Catch Up at Captain Oldrey Park from 9am to noon. Broulee P&C members and Broulee PS staff will be at Captain Oldrey Park with an assortment of sports equipment, activities and friendly faces, for those who would like to join in. Fires have significantly impacted the opportunities children have had to catch up with friends and just play. Whether you have children who would like to see their friends, you have children new to the community and would like an opportunity to meet some new people or you just need to get yourself and the kids out of the house, organisers hope to see lots of familiar and some new faces. Please bring a hat, water bottle and maybe stop past a local cafe and pick up a coffee on the way. The school has received offers of support and donations and would like to assist those in need in an effective and efficient way. If families would like to advise the school either via direct message or contacting the school at broulee-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au it would be greatly appreciated. The P&C is organising school uniforms for each of the students who have lost their homes and will have additional school supplies available to them. They also hope to have additional counselling and family support resources at the start of the school year as well.
Narooma
Saturday, January 25: The Narooma Golf Club (1 Ballingalla Street, Narooma) will host a tribute to firefighters and volunteers from 6.30pm. It will be a night out to recognise and thank the amazing firies and volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past weeks. Finger food will be provided. Purchase own drinks and shout anyone in uniform. Dress code is uniform or summer best. If you would like to attend, email Jenny Munro with numbers in your party, jenny@jmunro.com.au.
Raffles
Bat raffle: Junior cricket player Jackson Ingram and his dad Brad have a Laver and Wood private bin grade bat valued at $829 to raffle in support of local firefighters and local bush fire victims. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased via direct debit to: Account name: J T Ingram bat raffle, BSB: 641800, Account: 200863982. Please include your name and phone number in the description and they will send your ticket numbers once money comes through.
Recovery centres
Bega: The Bega Valley's Bushfire Recovery Centre is open and located in the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre (Zingel Place, Bega). This is a a 'one-stop shop', providing information and practical assistance to people affected by the bushfire emergency across the Shire. Registration is a confidential and straight forward process and can be done by visiting the Recovery Centre in Zingel Place, Bega, or calling the Recovery Centre hotline on 6499 2345. The Recovery Centre is open seven days a week from 9am-5pm on weekdays and 10am-4pm on weekends.
Business and community initiatives
Coast wide
@spendwiththem Instagram campaign started by Ulladulla's Turia Pitt as a way to put money directly back into the pockets of the people and communities of fire-affected towns. To be featured on the page email spendwiththem@turiapitt.com and include product pictures, and instructions on how people can buy online or over the phone.
Berry
Berry Hotel (120 Queen Street, Berry) is offering a burger special throughout January where $7 from each burger goes to local volunteer firies (Shoalhaven Heads and Broughton Vale RFS brigades). The hotel has collaborated with Prime Alpaca to create the Firies Special: a local alpaca burger with chips for $19.50, with $7 going to the local firies. The hotel has already raised over$1300 in just over two weeks. Phone 4464 2294 for details.
The Berry Pharmacy (113 Queen Street, Berry) has free respirator masks from the Department of Health for those in need.
The Berry Tea Shop (1/66 Albert Street, Berry) $5 from every purchase of Deluxe South Coast Breakfast Tea will go to the local RFS until the end of January 2020.
Rachel Tagg Photography will donate 100 per cent of all profits from the Bushfire Relief collection to the NSW Rural Fire Service. Visit the online store.
Millbank Equestrian will donate 20 per cent of all online January sales to Wildlife Rescue South Coast Inc. Visit the online store.
Haven and Space (Shop 1/58 Albert Street, Berry) is selling $5 Haven and Space cotton bags with all proceeds going to the Salvation Army.
Nowra
Nowra-based artist Eleisha Ryan has offered to draw chalk pastel A4 portraits of fire victims' lost pets or prized stock. If you would are interested in taking up Eleisha's offer you can email her on Croifineart@gmail.com.
Huskisson, Milton, Ulladulla
Jervis Bay Brewing Co (3 Duranbah Dr Huskisson), Cupitt's (58 Washburton Rd, Ulladulla) and Dangerous Ales (74 Princes Hwy, Milton) will all be brewing 'Resilience Beer', an international beer recipe that is being shared among brewers, with a portion of sales going to those impacted by the fires. For the local brewers above, Ryefield Hops in Bemboka, Bega Valley, will receive a donation of $1 from every glass of 'Resilience Beer' sold.
Milton
Milton Chinese Medicine is giving its support and thanks to the community, by offering free acupuncture treatments to anyone who has lost their home or fought the fires. They are happy to provide up to three treatments per person. For all other locals, treatment fees have dropped from $65 to $55 for January. Bookings are essential, so please phone Milton Chinese Medicine on 4454 2914.
Batemans Bay
Wisdom Learning real estate workshop on Wednesday, March 4 from 9am-12.30pm in a venue TBA in Batemans Bay. In the aftermath of the catastrophic bushfires that ravaged many parts of the nation, Wisdom Learning would like to contribute to the recovery effort by supporting the local real estate industry. Wisdom will be running free real estate training for any licensed agents, property managers or sales persons who would like to enhance their range of professional property skills, develop personal and professional strategies to cope with, and work through, the challenges of rebuilding and delivering services after the devastating fires and learn more about the upcoming changes to the NSW real estate property reforms including major changes to the licensing requirements. As an optional extra, at no charge, workshop participants can choose to complete assessment post the workshop to gain one unit of competency from the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419). (Under the 2020 Property Reforms all current registered persons will need to complete three units of competency each year for four years to continue to work in the industry.) Register here.
Beauty vlogger Chloe Morello's GoFundMe for Batemans Bay locals.
Mogo
Mogo Zoo on the NSW South Coast GoFundMe established by MP Emma Husar.
Nowra
United Petroleum in Nowra is offering emergency services personnel and volunteers free bottles of water and pies at any time for sustenance.
Cobargo
Cobargo District Emergency Hay Fund. This fund will be used to purchase hay, chaff pellets for farmers who have lost everything. The Bendigo Bank has donated $10,000 to kick things off. Details are: Bendigo Bank, BSB: 633000, Account number: 171138555.
United Petroleum in Cobargo is offering emergency services personnel and volunteers free bottles of water at any time for sustenance.
Tura Beach
Mega Pixel Moments Photography owner Charley Breen is offering a free photographic sitting for anyone affected by the bushfires and is happy to travel from Batemans Bay south to Mallacoota. Email megapixelmomentsphotography@gmail.com for details.
Merimbula
We'll Pick up the Tab by Sante Fe Restaurant (Shop 23 Merimbula Plaza). Mexican restaurant Sante Fe in Merimbula has a tab going for fire-affected families and fire volunteers and workers to receive a meal and a drink on the house. Owner Lisa said she is hoping to keep the tab going as long as possible to reach as many people as they can. If you'd like to contribute the link is: www.gofundme.com/f/we039ll-pick-up-the-tab-checkbill?utm_source=facebook.
Wisdom Learning real estate workshop on Tuesday, March 3 from 9am-12.30pm in a venue TBA in Merimbula. In the aftermath of the catastrophic bushfires that ravaged many parts of the nation, Wisdom Learning would like to contribute to the recovery effort by supporting the local real estate industry. Wisdom will be running free real estate training for any licensed agents, property managers or sales persons who would like to enhance their range of professional property skills, develop personal and professional strategies to cope with, and work through, the challenges of rebuilding and delivering services after the devastating fires and learn more about the upcoming changes to the NSW real estate property reforms including major changes to the licensing requirements. As an optional extra, at no charge, workshop participants can choose to complete assessment post the workshop to gain one unit of competency from the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419). (Under the 2020 Property Reforms all current registered persons will need to complete three units of competency each year for four years to continue to work in the industry.) Register here.
Bega
Eggs for Bushfire Recovery by Bega Valley Eggs (Pollacks Flat Road, Bemboka). On New Year's Eve, both farms were burned as two separate bushfires swept through the Bega Valley. Most of the hens were saved, and the grading room and equipment in Quaama spared, but without power and access to water owners Tom and Joscelin McMillan were unable to continue to grade and process eggs, which means they were without income. Your kind donation, made by way of purchasing eggs, is split in two parts. Part One - 50 per cent is donated to the Fire Fund, to give stockists the eggs they would normally purchase from BVE, for free. They can then sell them to their customers or in their cafes and restaurants and make an income from your donation. Part Two - The other 50 per cent of your donation helps BVE to fund and build its new grading room on the farm at Bemboka and continue operations. See begavalleyeggs.com.au or phone 0413 545 734 for details.
Donate directly
Shoahaven Mayoral Relief Fund:
- Shoalhaven City Council
- BSB: 062 585
- Account: 10948473
- Please quote Reference: Bushfire
Wildlife rescue If you find wildlife impacted by fires in NSW, please contact WIRES Rescue Line on 1300 094 737.